From the Editor: This month's recipes were provided by Gigi Firth, Secretary of the
National Association of Guide Dog Users. She recommends them all. She also makes the
following announcement: the National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU) is putting
together a cookbook as a fund-raising activity. If you would like to help us with this
project, please send some of your favorite recipes to Karla Westjohn, Editor, Harness
Up, National Association of Guide Dog Users, 2009 Broadmoor, Champaign, Illinois
61821. You can send Karla your recipes in Braille or print or on cassette tape or disk in
DOS files. Unfortunately, Karla doesn't currently have e-mail, so that option is not
available.

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French Market Beignets

by Cathy Pinckley

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Cathy Pinckley is Gigi Firth's sister.

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Ingredients:

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 package dry yeast

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Vegetable oil

Sifted powdered sugar

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Method: Combine milk, margarine, and brown sugar in a saucepan; cook over low heat
until margarine melts. Stir often. Cool to approximately 105 to 115 degrees F. Transfer
mixture to a large bowl and stir in yeast. Let stand five minutes; then stir in egg. Sift
flour, salt, and nutmeg together. Add 1-1/2 cups of the flour mixture to yeast mixture.
Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth (1 or 2 minutes). Stir in remaining
flour to make soft dough. Place dough in a well greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover
and let dough rise in a warm place free from drafts about one hour or until doubled in
bulk. Punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead four or five times.
Roll dough into a 15-by-12-inch rectangle. Cut into 3-inch squares. Then cut each
diagonally. Place on a floured surface and let rise in a warm place free from drafts about
thirty minutes or until double in bulk. Pour three inches of oil into a fryer or Dutch
oven. Heat to 375 degrees. Fry a few at a time about one minute on each side or until
golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm. Makes about
forty.

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Cathy's Hush Puppies

by Cathy Pinckley

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Ingredients:

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

1 cup sweet milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 large onion grated

1 small can corn

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Method: Mix all ingredients together just before frying. Do not stir any more than
absolutely necessary. Drop by tablespoonfuls into oil in electric frying pan or deep fryer
heated to 400 degrees. Cook about four minutes on each side till hushpuppies are golden
brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

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Lemon Ice Box Pie

by Carolyn Fisher

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Carolyn Fisher is Gigi Firth's mother and the compiler of the family cookbook from
which these recipes come.

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Ingredients:

3 lemons (choose juicy ones)

3 eggs, separated

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Vanilla wafers

Butter or stick margarine

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Method: Crush vanilla wafers in the bottom of an 8-by-8-by 2-inch pan or round
9-inch pie plate. Drizzle enough melted butter over wafers to moisten all crumbs. Line
sides of pan with whole wafers. In a bowl beat egg yolks until frothy. Add juice from the
lemons and beat until mixed. Add condensed milk while beating. In a separate bowl make
meringue. Egg whites will achieve better volume if they come to room temperature before
beating. If still cold, set the bowl in a bowl of warm water until they warm up. Add 1/4
teaspoon cream of tartar (or baking powder) and a pinch of salt to whites as you begin
beating. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add six tablespoons of
sugar, one at a time, and beat until meringue is stiff and shiny. Pour lemon mixture into
wafer-lined pan and top with meringue. Seal meringue to wafers. Bake at 400 degrees or
until meringue is lightly brown (from five to ten minutes). Refrigerate until chilled
through. Serves nine.

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Asparagus, George Style

by Polly Fisher

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George Fisher is Gigi's brother, and Polly is his wife.

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Ingredients:

1 pound fresh asparagus (must be tender, pencil-size is best)

1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic

1/2 cup white wine (only good drinking wine)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 teaspoon canola oil

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Method: In large frying pan heat butter and oil. Saute garlic, stirring for about
five minutes or until it begins to turn light brown. Add asparagus and saute for about
five minutes. The asparagus should still be tender crisp. Add the wine and simmer for two
to three minutes. Then serve. You can also saute fresh mushrooms or onions before adding
the asparagus. Allow each to cook to desired doneness; however, the asparagus must be
crisp. If not, George won't eat it! Any leftovers make excellent cream of asparagus soup.

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Broccoli Soup

by Carolyn Fisher

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Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups reconstituted dry milk

16 ounces frozen broccoli

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Tony Chacherie Creole Seasoning

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Method: Cook frozen broccoli in a small amount of water until tender. In an iron
skillet melt butter, add flour, and stir until well mixed but not brown. Add milk,
stirring constantly. Stir constantly until soup thickens. Add cooked broccoli and
seasoning. Serve hot. Use larger package of broccoli if desired. The more broccoli the
better it is. For those who like things spicier, add more Tony's to taste.

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Seafood Gumbo

by Carolyn Fisher

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Stock Ingredients:

2 packages dried shrimp

3 or 4 stalks celery, cut in 2-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 catfish fillets

Gumbo Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup flour

2 large packages frozen shrimp (or equal amount of fresh shrimp)

1 package frozen crabs for gumbo or 1 can crab meat

3/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

file (optional)

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Method: In a large stock pot with four or five quarts of water, combine all stock
ingredients. Boil for thirty-five to forty minutes. Strain through colander. Rescue
catfish and return to liquid. Discard the remaining solids in colander. Reserve stock. In
a heavy skillet over high heat to begin with, heat the cooking oil and flour. When flour
begins to brown, reduce heat and brown slowly, stirring constantly, until flour is dark
brown. (A properly made roux is the secret to good gumbo.) The brown you want is almost
black but never burned. If you get little black specks of burned flour, throw mixture out
and start again. There is no way to rescue it. When roux is done, pour off excess oil, or
skim off the excess from gumbo before serving. (Tip: If you have trouble getting the roux
browned properly or if you are worried about browning it too much, add a teaspoon of
Kitchen Bouquet per gallon of gumbo. This spice will darken the gumbo and add some flavor
as well.) Add roux to liquid in stock pot. To this add frozen shrimp, package of frozen
crabs for gumbo or 1 can crab meat, salt, pepper, and cayenne. At the last minute add
finely chopped green onions. Cook gumbo only until shrimp are done. Do not overcook, or
shrimp will be tough. Serve over rice and add file. Never let file come to a boil. File
can be served at the table and added to taste by each diner. Since File cannot be
reheated, in this way gumbo can be saved and reheated. There are many ways to make gumbo.
Here are a few options for seafood gumbo. The celery and onions can be finely chopped and
left in the stock instead of discarding. Parsley is also good. Add with green onions. The
amount of seafood used can be varied to suit your taste (and pocketbook). Oysters can be
added if you like them.